Systems and methods for distributed electronic communication and configuration

ABSTRACT

A system, comprising: at least one hardware processor; at least one executable software module that, when executed by the hardware processor, performs operations comprising: detecting a first event associated with a contact; in response to detecting the first event: collecting environment data associated with the first event; selecting a first of a plurality of actions based at least in part on the environment data; and performing the first action.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent document is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 16/808,065, filed Mar. 3, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 16/291,997, filed on Mar. 4, 2019, now U.S.Pat. No. 10,623,349, issued on Apr. 14, 2020, which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/253,751, filed on Aug. 31, 2016, nowU.S. Pat. No. 10,225,217, issued on Mar. 5, 2019, which claims benefitof priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/212,538, filed on Aug. 31, 2015, U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/212,540, filed on Aug. 31, 2015 and U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/212,543, filed on Aug. 31, 2015. The disclosures ofthe above applications are incorporated by reference in their entiretyas a part of this document

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The various embodiments described herein are related to electroniccommunication, and more particularly to automation of electronicmessaging.

2. Related Art

Electronic communication (e.g., electronic mail (email), short messageservice (SMS), push notification, etc.) tends to be a more economicaland accessible advertisement channel than traditional printed mediumssuch as catalogs, flyers, brochures, and mailers. Thus, marketers mayprefer to rely on electronic communication when reaching out to existingand potential customers.

However, electronic communications are generally transmitted withoutmeaningful planning or afterthought. Specifically, conventionalelectronic communication services are unable to systematically generateappropriate content and track dispatched messages. As such, marketersmay ultimately find electronic communications (e.g., email campaigns) tobe less effective than print counterparts.

SUMMARY

Systems and methods for a communications platform are provided.

Other features and advantages of the present inventive concept should beapparent from the following description which illustrates by way ofexample aspects of the present inventive concept.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects and features of the present inventiveconcept will be more apparent by describing example embodiments withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a network environment accordingto various embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a communications platformaccording to various embodiments;

FIG. 3 illustrates a graphic user interface (GUI) of a communicationsplatform according to various embodiments;

FIG. 4 illustrates a GUI of a communications platform according tovarious embodiments;

FIG. 5 illustrates a GUI of a communications platform according tovarious embodiments;

FIG. 6 illustrates a GUI of a communications platform according tovarious embodiments;

FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C illustrate a GUI of a communications platformaccording to various embodiments;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a device according to various embodiments;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a system and process for multi-varianttesting in accordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a system and process for eventtriggered messaging in accordance with one embodiment; and

FIG. 11, FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 illustrate GUIs of a communicationsplatform according to various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While certain embodiments are described, these embodiments are presentedby way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope ofprotection. The methods and systems described herein may be embodied ina variety of other forms. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions,and changes in the form of the example methods and systems describedherein may be made without departing from the scope of protection.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a network environment 100according to various embodiments. Referring to FIG. 1, a communicationsplatform 110 can include one or more servers 112 and one or moredatabases 114. In various embodiments, the communications platform 110can communicate with one or more devices via a communication network120. In various embodiments, the communication network 120 can be, forexample, but not limited to, a wireless or mobile communication network.

The communications platform 110 can communicate with devices including,for example, but not limited to, a first device 142, a second device144, and a third device 146. In some embodiments, the first device 142can be associated with a communication entity while the second device144 and the third device 146 can each be associated with a target. Forexample, the communication entity can organize an electronic messaging(e.g., email) campaign by communicating one or more configurations forthe electronic messaging campaign to the communications platform 110 viathe first device 142 (e.g., a web application associated with thecommunications platform 110). The communications platform 110 cantransmit one or more electronic communications to the second device 144and/or the third device 146 based on the configurations received fromthe communication entity via the first device 142.

In various embodiments, the communications platform 110 can track orlisten for one or more events and perform one or more actions inresponse to an event or a combination of events. As will be described inmore detail below, the user (e.g., marketer) is able to provideconfigurations for an electronic messaging campaign to thecommunications platform 110 via a GUI. Configurations for an electronicmessaging campaign can include, for example, but not limited to,customized content, events, triggers, schedules, and recipients.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the communications platform 110according to various embodiments. Referring to FIGS. 1-2, in variousembodiments, the communications platform 110 can include a listenermodule 202 configured to listen for or detect one or more eventsincluding, for example, but not limited to, profile data events, emailbehavioral events, and supplemental data update events. As described inmore details below, in various embodiments, the listener module 202 canbe configured to listen for events reported back by one or more embeddedlisteners.

In various embodiments, the communications platform 110 can furtherinclude a trigger module 204 configured to perform one or more actionsin response to an event, a combination of events, or a series of eventsdetected by the listener module 202.

In various embodiments, the communications platform 110 can furtherinclude a testing module 206 configured to perform, for example, but notlimited to, multi-variant testing for a plurality of electroniccommunications each having at least some different content.

In various embodiments, the communications platform 110 can furtherinclude a data collections module 208 configured to collect dataincluding, for example, but not limited to a plurality of environmentdata associated with one or more events detected by the listener module202.

In various embodiments, the communications platform 110 can furtherinclude an optimization module 210 configured to generate variants ofelectronic communications each having one or more mutations. Accordingto one exemplary embodiment, the optimization module 210 can generatevariant electronic communications in response to one or more eventsdetected by the listener module 202. In various embodiments, theoptimization module 210 can be further configured to determine one ormore mutations based configurations communicated to the communicationsplatform 110 by the user via the first device 142. Alternately or inaddition, in various embodiments, the optimization module 210 candetermine one or more variants based on results collected by the testingmodule 206 and/or data collected by the data collections module 208.

A person having ordinary skill in the art can appreciate that thecommunications platform 110 can include different modules. Moreover, itwill be understood that the various modules comprise software andhardware required to perform the functions described. Exemplary hardwaresystems on which such software can run and which can form a part of thevarious modules or on which the modules can be configured to operate aredescribed with respect to FIG. 8.

FIG. 3 illustrates a GUI of the communications platform 110 according tovarious embodiments. With references to FIG. 1-3, the GUI can display adashboard presenting an overview of user activities for a userincluding, for example, but not limited to, one or more previous,current, and future electronic messaging campaigns. In variousembodiments, a user can access the GUI via the first device 142 (oranother device). A user can navigate and have access to various featuresof the communications platform 110 via the dashboard.

FIG. 4 illustrates a GUI of the communications platform 110 according tovarious embodiments. With references to FIGS. 1-4, the GUI can furtherdisplay options for a user to compose and customize an electronicmessage (e.g., an email). For example, in addition to creating andediting a content of an electronic message, a user can also edit ascheduling and/or an audience for the electronic message. Moreover, theuser can indicate one or more goals for the electronic messagingcampaign as well as configure what and how activities (e.g., customerengagement with certain electronic communication) are tracked.

FIG. 5 illustrates a GUI of the communications platform 110 according tovarious embodiments. With references to FIGS. 1-5, the GUI can display aschedule of messages to be sent by the communications platform 110.

FIG. 6 illustrates a GUI of the communications platform 110 according tovarious embodiments. With references to FIGS. 1-6, the GUI can displayoptions for a user to customize and configure various events fordetection by the listener module 202. As will be described in moredetails below, events that can trigger one or more actions include, forexample, but not limited to, profile data events (e.g., addition of orcreation of a contact profile, change to a contact attribute value in acontact profile), email behavior events (e.g., when a contact interactswith a specific message), and/or supplemental data update events (e.g.,custom events).

FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate a GUI of the communications platform 110according to various embodiments. With references to FIG. 1-7C, the GUIcan display options for a marketer to configure a recurring transmissionschedule. For example, the marketer can configure a schedule (see FIG.7B) and/or an audience (see FIG. 7C) for when electronic communicationin an electronic messaging campaign can be sent on a recurring (e.g.,intermittent or periodic) schedule.

Listeners and Triggers

In various embodiments, a trigger is a series of one or more actionsthat is performed (e.g., by the trigger module 204) in response to anevent, a combination of events, or a series of events (e.g., detected bythe listener module 202). In various embodiments, the one or moreactions included in a trigger can include, for example, but not limitedto, transmission of a message (e.g., email, SMS), pushing anotification, and instigating a proprietary or third-party applicationprogramming interface (API) callback or chained callback. According toone exemplary embodiment, multiple actions in a trigger can be orderedbased on the event as well as results collected by the testing module206 and/or data collected by the data collections module 208.Furthermore, the trigger module 204 can be configured to perform some orall of the actions in a trigger according to filters and/or time delays.

In various embodiments, a trigger can be associated with eventsincluding, for example, but not limited to, profile data events, emailbehavior events, and/or supplemental data update events. In oneexemplary embodiment, the communications platform 110 can customizevarious aspects of the trigger based on the event causing the trigger.For example, a trigger can include additional electronic communicationthat is transmitted by the trigger module 204. Thus, additionalelectronic messages (e.g., emails, SMS text, push notifications) may betriggered as a result of events including, for example, but not limitedto, updates to contact profile information, the additional of contactactivity data, and the update or addition of supporting datacollections. Moreover, the communications platform 110 can determine,based at least on the event, a content, transmission schedule, and/ordelivery channel for the additional electronic communication transmittedby the trigger module 204 in response to the event.

According to one exemplary embodiment, the communications platform 110can store (e.g., in the databases 114) profiles for a plurality ofcontacts (e.g., existing or potential customer). In various embodiments,a profile data event can include one or more events altering the profileof a contact (e.g., existing or potential customer). For example, thelistener module 202 can detect when a potential customer subscribes to anewsletter or a mailing list in response to an electronic communication.Accordingly, the trigger module 204 can transmit an additionalelectronic communication (e.g., a welcome email) to the contact inresponse to the event.

Additionally, the listener module 202 can also detect updates to acontact attribute value. For example, the listener module 202 candetermine when a contact makes a purchase (e.g., in response to anelectronic communication) thereby increasing a number of purchasesassociated with the contact. The listener module 202 can also detectwhen a contact list association is updated. For example, the listenermodule 202 can detect when a marketer adds or removes an existing orpotential customer from an electronic mailing list.

In various embodiments, an email behavior event can include, forexample, but not limited to, sending a message, opening a message,clicking a message, sharing a message, purchasing from or as a result ofa message, and opting out of a message (e.g., unsubscribing, designatingas spam).

In various embodiments, the listener module 202 can listen for changesto supplemental data while the trigger module 204 can perform actionssuch as the transmission of additional (e.g., follow-up) messages (e.g.,email, SMS). For example, the trigger module 204 can transmit additionalmessages when the listener module 202 detects new flight delayinformation.

In the systems and methods described herein, the event triggeredmessaging can also be combined with audience filtering as illustrated inFIG. 10. As can be seen, in step 1002 a event can be observed, e.g., byevent observation module 916. This can then activate event triggeredmessaging process 1004, which can comprise an event trigger 1003 and anaudience filter 1005. The event trigger module 1003 determines of theobserved event matches an available event trigger configuration, inwhich case the appropriate message can be generated. But first, theaudience filter 1005 can determine whether the contact associated withthe observed event is a member of an allowed audience associate with themessage. Audience filter 1005 can take input form an audience builder1008 that uses data stored in database 1010. If the event trigger 1003and audience filter 1005 indicate that the message can be generated,then a message send process 1012 can be invoked.

The event trigger messaging process can receive as input event triggerconfigurations as mentioned above. FIG. 11 is a UI illustrating such aconfiguration. This particular configuration occurs when a contactattribute associated with a contact is changed. Also, in this case, theaudience comprises all contacts. FIG. 12 illustrates that the triggerconfigurations can be created from various defined rules, the selectionof which can open a configuration set up window as illustrated but theUI of FIG. 13. The UI of FIG. 13 can include drop down menus or windowsinto which appropriate selections can be made or input.

Embedded Listeners

In various embodiments, behavior exhibited by one or more contacts(e.g., potential or existing customer) on a website can be observed byan embedded listener. In various embodiments, the embedded listener canbe a Javascript SDK installed on the website and configured to transmitdata associated with the contact back to the listener module 202. Invarious embodiments, in response to one or more events reported by anembedded listener, the listener module 202 can cause an update to thecorresponding contact profile.

Environment Data

In various embodiments, the data collection module 208 can collect avariety of data including environment data associated (e.g.,contemporaneous) with an event detected by the listener module 202.Environment data can include, for example, but not limited to, thelocation of the contact, the weather at the location, social media(e.g., trending Twitter® topics), and stock market performance when anevent is detected by the listener module 202. The communicationsplatform 110 can associate at least a portion of environment data with adetected event, and determine one or more correlations betweenenvironment data and one or more detected events. According to oneexemplary embodiment, correlations between environment data and eventscan be used when configuring a future electronic messaging campaign.

Multi-Variable Testing

According to one exemplary embodiment, the testing module 206 canperform multi-variable testing to identify one or more options (e.g.,user configured and/or automatically generated) having a better messageperformance. In various embodiments, A|B testing or Thompson Samplingcan be applied in order to identify factors and combinations thereofthat yields the best message performance. For example, digitalcommunication touchpoint generally refers to the digital channel (e.g.,email, SMS, push notification) used to communicate one or more messagesto a user. One form of A|B testing or Thompson Sampling may determinewhich digital communication touchpoint optimizes message performance(e.g., as measured by metrics such as click through rate, purchaseconversion, etc.).

Furthermore, in one exemplary embodiment, the testing module 206 isconfigured to apply A|B testing to a full sequence of messages; however,in the embodiments described herein a Thompson Sampling algorithmcombined with either the natural messaging cadence or an imposedthrottling algorithm to eliminate “regret”, which in this case is theoveraggressive testing of content that results in excess messaging tothe “loser” content. The algorithm will narrow in on the best performingcontent quicker than with conventional testing, both in terms of timeand in testing the least number of messages needed to arrive at theoptimal content. That is, the testing module 206 can be configured toperform cross channel Thompson Sampling to determine whether a digitalcommunication channel produced better results when one or moreadditional touchpoints accompanied the message sequence. For example,the testing module 206 may be configured to test whether a sequence ofthree emails (e.g., a welcome and nurture email program) performedbetter if a touchpoint (e.g., an SMS message or push notification) wasinserted in between or in conjunction with some or all of the emails inthe sequence.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example embodiment of A/B testingcan be combined with Thompson Sampling and, e.g., throttling inaccordance with one embodiment. As can be seen, a set of messages 901comprising content A and variants thereof, and content B and variantsthereof can be prepared and deployed in process 902. As indicated, thedelivery of these messages can be throttled to allow for adequate timeto collect the feedback needed to affect ongoing content rendering andvariant selection in order hone in on the most effective messaging. Inprocess 904, the messages are rendered. Process 904 can include aselection algorithm 905 that is implementing or includes a ThompsonSampling algorithm and that operates using an experiment configuration906, which contains the rules that determine which conversion metric tooptimize for. The selection algorithm 905 can also use aggregate statsform storage 920.

After the content is selected, a channel selection algorithm 908 candetermine the correct communication channel or medium. The message withthe selected variant (messages 912) can then be delivered in step 910.The selected message as well as any detected user action 914 can be fedback to event observation module 916 and event statistic aggregationmodule 918, which can then store aggregation results in storage 920.

In various embodiments, in additional to digital communicationtouchpoints or channels, an electronic messaging campaign can becustomized with additional options that include, for example, but notlimited to, message content and transmission schedule. For example, thetesting module 206 can cause transmission of a plurality of electroniccommunication having different content options. Some electroniccommunication can contain a reminder (e.g., items left in cart) whileother electronic communication can convey an offer of discount or acoupon. A marketer can establish (e.g., via configurations communicatedvia the first device 142) a goal such as maximizing volume or profit.Accordingly, the testing module 206 can collect engagement data (e.g.,purchase conversion rate) and analyze the engagement data based on themarketer's goals. Thus, a reminder that converts to or results in apurchase will yield a higher profit margin than a discount offer thatconverts to or results in a purchase. In contrast, a discount or acoupon offer may yield higher volume but lower profit margin. Theresults from the multi-variable testing conducted by the testing module206 can be used to modify or select the contents of future electroniccommunication. For example, contents that yielded positive results for aparticular demographic group and with respect to a certain marketinggoal can be applied in future campaigns targeting a similar demographicgroup and/or having a similar marketing goal.

Message Features

In various embodiments, the trigger module 204 can transmit one or moreelectronic communication to a contact (e.g., an existing or potentialcustomer). According to one exemplary embodiment, contents of theelectronic communication can be modified or varied based onconfigurations set by the user, results collected by the testing module206, and/or data collected by the data collections module 208.

In one embodiment, at least some of the electronic communication (e.g.,emails) can include a “remind me later” option. In some embodiments, the“remind me later” option may be presented as a set of dynamicallygenerated buttons appearing in (e.g., at the top of) the electroniccommunication. Alternately, in some embodiments, the “remind me later”option can be presented as a scroll down menu. Each of the buttons orscroll down menu selections may provide a choice (e.g., of a date and/ortime) for a recipient of the electronic communication to receive thesame message at a later time. According to one exemplary embodiment, thechoices provided to the recipient can be time choices (e.g., specific orrelative times) determined based on when the recipient opened theelectronic communication. For example, if the electronic communicationwas opened LOAM, the time choices offered to the recipient to receivethe same communication again can be 11 AM, 2 PM, 6 PM, 9 PM, and thenext day. Alternately, the choices offered to the recipient can be onehour later, two hours later, three hours later, five hours later, and 24hours later.

Meanwhile, the listener module 202 can detect when a recipient (e.g., anexisting or potential customer) selects the “remind me later” option inan electronic communication. In addition, the listener module 202 candetect a time when the recipient opened the electronic communicationand/or selected the “remind me later” option. In response to detectingthe selection of the “remind me later” option, the listener module 202can cause an update to the recipient's profile and/or the trigger module204 to transmit a second email to the recipient at a later time. Forexample, the listener module 202 can detect that the recipient opened anemail and/or actuated a “remind me later” button at 1 PM. As a result,the trigger module 204 can transmit the same electronic communicationagain based on the choice selected by the recipient. Alternately, thetrigger module 204 can determine to transmit additional reminder emailsat a time that is determined based on when the electronic communicationwas opened and/or when the “remind me later” option was selected.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a device 800 according to variousembodiments. In various embodiments, the device 800 can be used as is orin conjunction with one or more of the mechanisms or processes describedabove, and can represent components of server(s), user system(s), and/orother devices described herein. For example, the device 800 can be usedto implement one or more of the servers 112, the first device 142, thesecond device 144, and/or the third device 146 and the modules andalgorithms configured to run thereon. The device 800 can be a server orany conventional personal computer, or any other processor-enableddevice that is capable of wired or wireless data communication. Othercomputer systems and/or architectures can be also used, as will be clearto those skilled in the art.

The device 800 preferably includes one or more processors, such as aprocessor 810. Additional processors can be provided, such as anauxiliary processor to manage input/output, an auxiliary processor toperform floating point mathematical operations, a special-purposemicroprocessor having an architecture suitable for fast execution ofsignal processing algorithms (e.g., digital signal processor), a slaveprocessor subordinate to the main processing system (e.g., back-endprocessor), an additional microprocessor or controller for dual ormultiple processor systems, or a coprocessor. Such auxiliary processorscan be discrete processors or can be integrated with the processor 810.Examples of processors which can be used with the device 800 include,without limitation, the Pentium® processor, Core i7® processor, andXeon® processor, all of which are available from Intel Corporation ofSanta Clara, Calif.

The processor 810 is preferably connected to a communication bus 870.The communication bus 870 can include a data channel for facilitatinginformation transfer between storage and other peripheral components ofthe device 800. The communication bus 870 further can provide a set ofsignals used for communication with the processor 810, including a databus, address bus, and control bus (not shown). The communication bus 870can comprise any standard or non-standard bus architecture such as, forexample, bus architectures compliant with industry standard architecture(ISA), extended industry standard architecture (EISA), Micro ChannelArchitecture (MCA), peripheral component interconnect (PCI) local bus,or standards promulgated by the Institute of Electrical and ElectronicsEngineers (IEEE) including IEEE 488 general-purpose interface bus(GPIB), IEEE 696/S-100, and the like.

The device 800 preferably includes a main memory 820 and can alsoinclude a secondary memory 830. The main memory 820 provides storage ofinstructions and data for programs executing on the processor 810, suchas one or more of the functions and/or modules discussed above. Itshould be understood that programs stored in the memory and executed bythe processor 810 can be written and/or compiled according to anysuitable language, including without limitation C/C++, Java, JavaScript,Pearl, Visual Basic, .NET, and the like. The main memory 820 istypically semiconductor-based memory such as dynamic random accessmemory (DRAM) and/or static random access memory (SRAM). Othersemiconductor-based memory types include, for example, synchronousdynamic random access memory (SDRAM), Rambus dynamic random accessmemory (RDRAM), ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM), and the like,including read only memory (ROM).

The secondary memory 830 can optionally include an internal memory 832and/or a removable storage medium 430, for example a floppy disk drive,a magnetic tape drive, a compact disc (CD) drive, a digital versatiledisc (DVD) drive, other optical drive, a flash memory drive, etc. Theremovable storage medium 430 is read from and/or written to in awell-known manner. The removable storage medium 430 can be, for example,a floppy disk, magnetic tape, CD, DVD, SD card, etc.

The removable storage medium 430 can be a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium having stored thereon computer executable code(i.e., software) and/or data (e.g., for implementing at least a portionof the subject matter described herein). The computer software or datastored on the removable storage medium 430 is read into the device 800for execution by the processor 810.

In alternative embodiments, the secondary memory 830 can include othersimilar means for allowing computer programs or other data orinstructions to be loaded into the device 800. Such means can include,for example, an external storage medium 445 and an interface 440.Examples of the external storage medium 445 can include, for example,but not limited to, an external hard disk drive or an external opticaldrive, or and external magneto-optical drive.

Other examples of the secondary memory 830 can includesemiconductor-based memory such as programmable read-only memory (PROM),erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasableread-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory (block oriented memorysimilar to EEPROM). Also included are a removable storage media 430 anda communication interface 850, which allow software and data to betransferred from an external medium 856 to the device 800.

The device 800 can include a communication interface 850. Thecommunication interface 850 allows software and data to be transferredbetween the device 800 and various external devices (e.g. printers),networks, or information sources. For example, computer software orexecutable code can be transferred to the device 800 from a networkserver via the communication interface 850. Examples of thecommunication interface 850 include a built-in network adapter, networkinterface card (NIC), Personal Computer Memory Card InternationalAssociation (PCMCIA) network card, card bus network adapter, wirelessnetwork adapter, Universal Serial Bus (USB) network adapter, modem, anetwork interface card (NIC), a wireless data card, a communicationsport, an infrared interface, an IEEE 1394 fire-wire, or any other devicecapable of interfacing the device 800 with a network or anothercomputing device.

The communication interface 850 preferably implements industrypromulgated protocol standards including, for example, but not limitedto Ethernet IEEE 802 standards, Fiber Channel, digital subscriber line(DSL), asynchronous digital subscriber line (ADSL), frame relay,asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), integrated digital services network(ISDN), personal communications services (PCS), transmission controlprotocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP), serial line Internet protocol/pointto point protocol (SLIP/PPP), and so on, but can also implementcustomized or non-standard interface protocols as well.

Software and data transferred via Communication Interface 440 aregenerally in the form of electrical communication signals 852. Theelectrical communication signals 852 are preferably provided to thecommunication interface 850 via a communication channel 854. In oneembodiment, the communication channel 854 can be a wired or wirelessnetwork, or any variety of other communication links. The communicationchannel 854 carries the electrical communication signals 852 and can beimplemented using a variety of wired or wireless communication meansincluding, for example, but not limited to, wire or cable, fiber optics,conventional phone line, cellular phone link, wireless datacommunication link, radio frequency (“RF”) link, or infrared link, justto name a few.

Computer executable code (i.e., computer programs or software) is storedin the main memory 820 and/or the secondary memory 830. Computerprograms can also be received via the communication interface 850 andstored in the main memory 820 and/or the secondary memory 830. Suchcomputer programs, when executed, enable the device 800 to perform thevarious functions, such as those described herein.

In this description, the term “computer readable medium” is used torefer to any non-transitory computer readable storage media used toprovide computer executable code (e.g., software and computer programs)to the device 800. Examples of these media include the main memory 820,the secondary memory 830 (including the internal memory 832, theremovable medium 834, and the external storage medium 445), and anyperipheral device communicatively coupled with the communicationinterface 850 (including a network information server or other networkdevice). These non-transitory computer readable mediums are means forproviding executable code, programming instructions, and software to thedevice 800.

In an embodiment that is implemented using software, the software can bestored on a computer readable medium and loaded into the device 800 byway of the removable medium 834, the I/O interface 840, or thecommunication interface 850. In such an embodiment, the software isloaded into the device 800 in the form of the electrical communicationsignals 852. The software, when executed by the processor 810,preferably causes the processor 810 to perform the inventive featuresand functions previously described herein.

In an embodiment, the I/O interface 840 provides an interface betweenone or more components of the device 800 and one or more input and/oroutput devices. Example input devices include, without limitation,keyboards, touch screens or other touch-sensitive devices, biometricsensing devices, computer mice, trackballs, pen-based pointing devices,camera, microphone, and the like. Examples of output devices include,without limitation, cathode ray tubes (CRTs), plasma displays,light-emitting diode (LED) displays, liquid crystal displays (LCDs),printers, vacuum florescent displays (VFDs), surface-conductionelectron-emitter displays (SEDs), field emission displays (FEDs), andthe like.

The device 800 also includes optional wireless communication componentsthat facilitate wireless communication over a voice and over a datanetwork. The wireless communication components can comprise an antennasystem 864, a radio system 862, a baseband system 860, or anycombination thereof. In the device 800, radio frequency (RF) signals aretransmitted and received over the air by the antenna system 864 underthe management of the radio system 862.

In one embodiment, the antenna system 864 can comprise one or moreantennae and one or more multiplexors (not shown) that perform aswitching function to provide the antenna system 864 with transmit andreceive signal paths. In the receive path, received RF signals can becoupled from a multiplexor to a low noise amplifier (not shown) thatamplifies the received RF signal and sends the amplified signal to theradio system 862.

In alternative embodiments, the radio system 862 can comprise one ormore radios that are configured to communicate over various frequencies.In one embodiment, the radio system 862 can combine a demodulator (notshown) and modulator (not shown) in one integrated circuit (IC). Thedemodulator and modulator can also be separate components. In theincoming path, the demodulator strips away the RF carrier signal leavinga baseband receive audio signal, which is sent from the radio system 862to the baseband system 860.

If the received signal contains audio information, the baseband system860 decodes the signal and converts it to an analog signal. Then thesignal is amplified and sent to a speaker. The baseband system 860 alsoreceives analog audio signals from a microphone. These analog audiosignals are converted to digital signals and encoded by the basebandsystem 860. The baseband system 860 also codes the digital signals fortransmission and generates a baseband transmit audio signal that isrouted to the modulator portion of the radio system 862. The modulatormixes the baseband transmit audio signal with an RF carrier signalgenerating an RF transmit signal that is routed to the antenna systemand can pass through a power amplifier (not shown). The power amplifieramplifies the RF transmit signal and routes it to the antenna system 864where the signal is switched to the antenna port for transmission.

The baseband system 860 is also communicatively coupled with theprocessor 810. The processor 810 has access to the main memory 820 andthe secondary memory 830. The processor 810 is preferably configured toexecute instructions (i.e., computer programs or software) that can bestored in the main memory 820 or the secondary memory 830. Computerprograms can also be received from the baseband processor 460 and storedin the main memory 820 or in the secondary memory 830, or executed uponreceipt. Such computer programs, when executed, enable the device 800 toperform the various functions, such as those described herein. Forexample, the main memory 820 and the secondary memory 830 can eachinclude various software modules (not shown).

Various embodiments may also be implemented primarily in hardware using,for example, components such as application specific integrated circuits(ASICs), or field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Implementation of ahardware state machine capable of performing the functions describedherein will also be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art.Various embodiments may also be implemented using a combination of bothhardware and software.

Furthermore, those of skill in the art will appreciate that the variousillustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and method stepsdescribed in connection with the above described figures and theembodiments disclosed herein can often be implemented as electronichardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearlyillustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, variousillustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have beendescribed above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether suchfunctionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon theparticular application and design constraints imposed on the overallsystem. Skilled persons can implement the described functionality invarying ways for each particular application, but such implementationdecisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from thescope of the invention. In addition, the grouping of functions within amodule, block, circuit or step is for ease of description. Specificfunctions or steps can be moved from one module, block or circuit toanother without departing from the invention.

Moreover, the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, functions,and methods described in connection with the embodiments disclosedherein can be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor,a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, FPGA or other programmablelogic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardwarecomponents, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functionsdescribed herein. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor,but in the alternative, the processor can be any processor, controller,microcontroller, or state machine. A processor can also be implementedas a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of aDSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or moremicroprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration.

Additionally, the steps of a method or algorithm described in connectionwith the embodiments disclosed herein can be embodied directly inhardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in acombination of the two. A software module can reside in RAM memory,flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, harddisk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage mediumincluding a network storage medium. An exemplary storage medium can becoupled to the processor such the processor can read information from,and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, thestorage medium can be integral to the processor. The processor and thestorage medium can also reside in an ASIC.

In situations in which the systems discussed here collect personalinformation about users, or can make use of personal information, theusers can be provided with an opportunity to control whether programs orfeatures collect user information (e.g., information about a user'ssocial network, social actions or activities, profession, a user'spreferences, or a user's current location), or to control whether and/orhow to receive content from the content server that can be more relevantto the user. In addition, certain data can be treated in one or moreways before it is stored or used, so that personally identifiableinformation is removed. For example, a user's identity can be treated sothat no personally identifiable information can be determined for theuser, or a user's geographic location can be generalized where locationinformation is obtained (such as to a city, ZIP code, or state level),so that a particular location of a user cannot be determined. Thus, theuser can have control over how information is collected about the userand used by a content server.

Any of the software components described herein may take a variety offorms. For example, a component may be a stand-alone software package,or it may be a software package incorporated as a “tool” in a largersoftware product. It may be downloadable from a network, for example, awebsite, as a stand-alone product or as an add-in package forinstallation in an existing software application. It may also beavailable as a client-server software application, as a web-enabledsoftware application, and/or as a mobile application.

Although a few example implementations have been shown and described,these example implementations are provided to convey the subject matterdescribed herein to people who are familiar with this field. It shouldbe understood that the subject matter described herein may beimplemented in various forms without being limited to the describedexample implementations. The subject matter described herein can bepracticed without those specifically defined or described matters orwith other or different elements or matters not described. It will beappreciated by those familiar with this field that changes can be madein these example implementations without departing from the subjectmatter described herein as defined in the appended claims and theirequivalents.

Various embodiments may also be implemented primarily in hardware using,for example, components such as application specific integrated circuits(ASICs), or field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Implementation of ahardware state machine capable of performing the functions describedherein will also be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art.Various embodiments may also be implemented using a combination of bothhardware and software.

Furthermore, those of skill in the art will appreciate that the variousillustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and method stepsdescribed in connection with the above described figures and theembodiments disclosed herein can often be implemented as electronichardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearlyillustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, variousillustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have beendescribed above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether suchfunctionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon theparticular application and design constraints imposed on the overallsystem. Skilled persons can implement the described functionality invarying ways for each particular application, but such implementationdecisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from thescope of the invention. In addition, the grouping of functions within amodule, block, circuit or step is for ease of description. Specificfunctions or steps can be moved from one module, block or circuit toanother without departing from the invention.

Moreover, the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, functions,and methods described in connection with the embodiments disclosedherein can be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor,a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, FPGA or other programmablelogic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardwarecomponents, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functionsdescribed herein. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor,but in the alternative, the processor can be any processor, controller,microcontroller, or state machine. A processor can also be implementedas a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of aDSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or moremicroprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration.

Additionally, the steps of a method or algorithm described in connectionwith the embodiments disclosed herein can be embodied directly inhardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in acombination of the two. A software module can reside in RAM memory,flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, harddisk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage mediumincluding a network storage medium. An exemplary storage medium can becoupled to the processor such the processor can read information from,and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, thestorage medium can be integral to the processor. The processor and thestorage medium can also reside in an ASIC.

While certain embodiments have been described above, it will beunderstood that the embodiments described are by way of example only.Accordingly, the systems and methods described herein should not belimited based on the described embodiments. Rather, the systems andmethods described herein should only be limited in light of the claimsthat follow when taken in conjunction with the above description andaccompanying drawings.

What is claimed is:
 1. A communications platform, comprising: at leastone hardware processor; a database configured to store profile data fora plurality of contacts, a plurality of audience filters, and aplurality of triggered messaging processes; at least one executablesoftware module that, when executed by the hardware processor, performsoperations comprising: presenting a user interface to a user, the userinterface configured to allow the user to define a plurality ofsupplemental events associated with the user's interaction with theplatform or communications generated by the platform; detecting one ofthe plurality of supplemental events associated with the plurality ofcontacts, which are remote from the platform; for each of the pluralityof events, when an event is detected: collecting environment dataassociated with the event; correlating the environment data and detectedsupplemental data; configuring one of the stored triggered messagingprocess that defines a plurality of actions based on the detectedsupplemental data and based on the correlation between such data and theenvironment data; and performing the plurality of actions defined by theconfigured triggered message process.
 2. The platform of claim 1,wherein the environment data includes one or more of the following: alocation of the event, a weather at the location of the event, socialmedia data at a time of the event, and stock market data from the timeof the event.
 3. The platform of claim 1, wherein the plurality ofactions comprises one or more of the following: transmitting anelectronic message, pushing a notification, and instigating anapplication programming interface callback.
 4. The platform of claim 1,wherein the environment data includes one or more of the following: alocation of the event, a weather at the location of the event, socialmedia data at a time of the event, or stock market data from the time ofthe event.
 5. The platform of claim 1, wherein the plurality of actionscomprises one or more of the following: transmitting an electronicmessage, pushing a notification, or instigating an applicationprogramming interface callback.
 6. The platform of claim 1, furthercomprising, when a supplemental event of the plurality of supplementalevents are detected, collecting profile event data and correlating theprofile event data with the environmental data, detected supplementaldata, or both, wherein the profile event data includes one or moreevents altering the profile data of a contact of the plurality ofcontacts, and wherein the plurality of actions are further based on theprofile event data, the correlation between the profile event data withthe environmental data, detected supplemental data, or both, or both theprofile event date or such correlation.
 7. The platform of claim ofclaim 6, wherein the one or more events altering the profile data of thecontact include a contact subscribing to a newsletter or a mailing listin response to an electronic communication.
 8. The platform of claim 7,wherein the plurality of actions defined by the configured triggeredmessage process includes transmitting an additional electroniccommunication to the associated contact of the plurality of contacts inresponse to the event.
 9. The platform of claim 1, further comprising,when a supplemental event of the plurality of supplemental events aredetected, collecting email behavior data and correlating the emailbehavior data with the environmental data, detected supplemental data,or both, wherein the email behavior data includes one of sending amessage, opening a message, clicking a message, sharing a message,purchasing from or as a result of a message, or opting out of a message,and wherein the plurality of actions are further based on the emailbehavior data, the correlation between the email behavior data with theenvironmental data, detected supplemental data, or both, or both theemail behavior date or such correlation.
 10. The platform of claim 1,wherein the plurality of actions are defined by the configured triggeredmessage process and at least one of the plurality of audience filters.